London, June 30: World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka began her Wimbledon 2025 campaign in commanding fashion on Monday, dispatching qualifier Carson Branstine 6-1, 7-5 in 73 minutes on a record-hot opening day at the All England Club.
Sabalenka has played only two of the past four Wimbledon tournaments — but made the semifinals both times. The people paid to figure these things out have installed Sabalenka as the one to beat, ahead of Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, and Coco Gauff.
The opening set was a formality, as she stormed through six of the first seven games in just 24 minutes. Branstine, playing her first Grand Slam main-draw match, managed to avoid a shutout with a blistering 120 mph ace that earned her the loudest cheers of the set.
But Sabalenka’s unreturnable serve sealed the frame moments later. The second set offered more resistance from the 24-year-old Canadian, who had impressed in qualifying by beating top seed Lois Boisson and former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu.Branstine settled into her service games, pushing the world No. 1 and holding to 5-5 before Sabalenka’s relentless pressure told. A netted forehand from Branstine while serving at 5-all handed Sabalenka the break she needed, and the Belarusian closed out the match with her trademark power.
While Branstine showed flashes of brilliance, finishing with seven aces, she struggled to win points on her second serve, taking just 11 of 24. Sabalenka, meanwhile, struck 17 winners against 18 unforced errors and extended her flawless record against qualifiers at majors to 10-0 without dropping a set.Sabalenka is now 24-5 in first-round matches at the Grand Slams and hasn’t lost in that situation in five and one-half years, going 19-0. She is a perfect 10-for-10 against qualifiers in majors and has yet to lose a set.
Two-time Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur’s 2024 campaign came to a heartbreaking early end on Monday, as the Tunisian star was forced to retire in her first-round match against Bulgarian Viktoriya Tomova due to health concerns amid sweltering conditions at the All England Club.
Jabeur, who reached the Wimbledon final in both 2022 and 2023, appeared visibly distressed during her time on Court 14, struggling in the oppressive heat as temperatures soared to 92°F (33.3°C). The former World No. 2 dropped a tight first set in a tiebreak and was trailing 2-0 in the second when she called time on the match. She had taken a lengthy medical timeout in the opening set and was seen in tears before eventually making the difficult decision to withdraw.
The 30-year-old, who suffers from asthma and had already experienced breathing difficulties earlier this year at the Australian Open, admitted the situation had caught her off guard. “I wasn’t expecting not to feel good,” she said post-match.
“I have been practising pretty well the last few days, but I guess these things happen. I’m pretty sad—it really doesn’t help with my confidence. I’ve been pushing myself even through a tough season, and this is a setback.”Jabeur’s ongoing injury woes have plagued her throughout the year. After a shoulder injury cut short her 2024 season prematurely, she made a tentative return to the tour only to suffer a leg strain at the Miami Open, leaving the court in tears. (IANS)
